


Sword of the Giant

by RenicaSwavely



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Active Force Bond, Angst and Fluff, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Canon Compliant, F/M, Poe and Finn get in the way, Post TLJ, Return to Naboo, Reverse Anidala Tendencies, Rey is an actual ray of sunshine, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-11 01:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15961508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenicaSwavely/pseuds/RenicaSwavely
Summary: “I wanted to bring you back, bring you home...but I can’t save you, Ben. I was never supposed to.  I can see that now. I understand. You have to save yourself.”“I don’t need saving,” he sneered. “I’m the strongest person in the galaxy. I have an army, resources, and an entire fleet at my disposal. What does the Resistance have, Rey? What could they possibly offer you that I couldn’t?”“Hope."





	Sword of the Giant

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta Kathleen for all her help on this story.

He stood alone in his chambers, staring out the view port out into the abyss. His previous quarters had not held such luxury, but now he was able to see out into the galaxy he reigned over. The _Supremacy_ was quiet at this time of night, except for the constant hum of the engines keeping the vessel moving. 

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren surveyed the stars before him, recognizing one of the constellations the vessel was passing — The Great Hunter. His father had told him stories about them, often speaking of a time when ships were guided by the pictures in the stars as opposed to navicomp. To remember them, the voyagers had named all the clusters and each had its own story. 

The tale of the Great Hunter was well-known across the galaxy, though the details varied depending on the culture or species of those that told it. Tonight, however, the Supreme Leader’s mind was not on the story of the constellation. His focus was on a single star — Saiph.

It wasn’t the brightest star in the formation; in fact, it wasn’t even in the top three. It was a lesser known star, of no importance. Over the centuries, it had drifted away from the main group, straying off on its own journey into space. Now, at the end of its life, it was a supergiant, destined to collapse in on itself and explode into a supernova. Each time the fleet traveled near it, calculations and observations were prepared to ensure the star was still stable.

Kylo felt a kinship to the star. Like Saiph, he had grown beyond what his family could comprehend, straying away from his blood relatives in search of purpose, a meaning behind his great power. He had achieved all he had set out to attain, yet he still felt unsatisfied.

With Snoke deceased and the Resistance scattered to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, he was the most powerful being alive. He was in his prime, the strongest he had ever been.. He had learned who his true enemy was and defeated him. There was nothing left in the galaxy to fear.

Except being alone.

After all he had accomplished, the one thing he had truly desired had slipped through his fingers, leaving him unbalanced once more. Like Saiph, he stood upon a precipice, ready to explode violently at his minions and cave in upon himself until he destroyed his second life as gloriously as he had destroyed his first.

Clenching his gloved fists at his side and trapped in his thoughts, he failed to register the shift in the air, the sudden stillness of his chamber. It wasn’t until she spoke that he realized she was there. 

“What are you looking at?”

“The stars,” he answered stiffly, not turning to look at her.

Their connection had not died along with his former master. Instead it remained, like the wound she had inflicted upon him the first time they had dueled, a constant reminder of her made to torture him. 

“Which ones?”

“Saiph, in particular.”

She hummed and he ventured a brief glance over his shoulder. Rey was curled around herself, hugging her legs to her chest, her chin resting on her kneecaps. She was on the floor, looking up and past him with a serene look on her face, as if she could see out his viewport. Perhaps wherever she was, she was seeing something more interesting, or — if fate was kind — she was staring at the same view and he wasn’t as far from her as he perceived himself to be.

“The traders would tell stories about the stars when they would stop at the outpost, on Jakku.””

Kylo didn’t respond. He tried not to think about her life prior to their meeting. Acknowledging the hardships she had survived on that barren wasteland only made it more difficult for him to understand why she hadn’t chosen to stay with him.  

If his silence bothered Rey, it didn’t deter her. She continued talking, as if they were... friends. As if they weren’t on opposite sides of a war, as if she hadn’t left him unconscious and run away again. He imagined it was the way she talked to the traitor, or that pilot he could see in her mind occasionally.

“I remember one they told about Saiph. The Yapi believe Saiph to be a great black-headed snake. In the legend, he’s a hero. He has the strength to carve out canyons and dig rivers for fresh water. He moves the ground into hills to protect the warriors from enemy tribes. It’s a myth their kind tells, a story passed down from generation to generation about their hero.”

He scoffed, hardly accustomed to hearing such fantasies. His father had never told him the tale Rey was sharing with him now. Even though most of what Han Solo had said — on those rare nights he had been home to tuck his son into bed — was exaggerated, the story Rey wove now seemed far less likely. How could anyone believe a snake to be a hero?

“He reminds me of you.”

Kylo turned around fully, facing her. He could not comprehend why she would believe the story had any relation to him. Hadn’t she been the one to call him a monster? Hadn’t she been the one to leave him lying on the ground, not once, but twice? Still, as he turned the idea over in his mind, he saw the parallels. Snakes were deceptive by nature and often dangerous when provoked. They struck hard and true when threatened, much the same away he had struck down his former master after hearing how the bond he shared with Rey had been yet another tool of manipulation — nothing more.

Yet, the bond persisted. After Snoke had died, Kylo had been sure the connection would also come to an end, until he had encountered Rey on on Crait.

“Why did you close the door?”

He had dozens of questions for her, all of them unsaid until now. Rey stared up at him, remaining seated on his floor. “You vowed to destroy me and all of this,” she replied, pulling the warped pieces of his grandfather’s lightsaber from her pockets. She held them out towards him, waiting for him to speak.

The Supreme Leader wished he could see her surroundings. In the handful of times he had seen her since Crait, he had never been able to discern where she was. He assumed she was on the piece of junk she had flown in to save the Resistance. She was far too sentimental of a creature to part with the Corellian freighter, just like his father.

“Why didn’t you stay with me?”

“I wanted to bring you back, bring you home...but I can’t save you, Ben. I was never supposed to.  I can see that now. I understand. You have to save yourself. 

“I don’t need saving,” he sneered. “I’m the strongest person in the galaxy. I have an army, resources, and an entire fleet at my disposal. What does the Resistance have, Rey? What could they possibly offer you that I couldn’t?”

“Hope.”

Before he could reply, she was gone, the connection cutting out abruptly. 

He was alone in his room once more, with only the hum of the engines to cut through the growing silence. No one was left — not his father, not his uncle, not even Snoke. They were all gone.

Instinctively, his hand grasped his saber and it flared to life. The angry red plasma blazed beneath his hands, as he hacked away at the furniture in his quarters until the smell of charred fabric and melting metal became too overwhelming to breathe in any longer. He stalked out.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, he sensed a change. The Force rippled across the galaxy, as though a stone had been dropped in a pond and the rings had extended across the surface. It hit him slowly at first, then all at once. Long before the report would be issued throughout the First Order, hours before General Hux would come to congratulate him, he knew.

His mother had died.

Kylo didn’t hesitate to reach out through the bond. 

_Rey._

She was as surprised as he was when she suddenly appeared in his throne room. Neither of them had been able to call upon the other. The Force commanded them. They did not command it. There was no time to contemplate what this meant for them. He needed a different kind of answer.

“Where are you?”

She didn’t hesitate in responding. “Naboo. They are burying her at sundown. You should be here.”

“I’m coming.”

With that, he stormed from the chamber, heading directly for his ship. He didn’t bother to alert Hux or any of his other generals. The matter was personal and he would not delay his travel to appease some ludicrous protocol. Despite his haste, he made sure to disable all tracking. Rey had chosen the Resistance over him, but he would not attack unless provoked. He would not allow for war on the day his mother was laid to rest, out of respect for Leia. 

Wasting no time, he entered the coordinates for Naboo and pushed off from the dock.

 

* * *

 

Rey was waiting for him when he landed. The palace, his grandmother’s home, had a secluded landing pad out near the lake. He wasn’t sure how she knew about it. Nevertheless, she was standing at the dock when he brought his TIE Silencer down. She remained there, patient, as he powered off the vessel.

Kylo exited his ship, agonizing over what to say to her. As he disembarked, she was joined by her friends, who flanked her on either side. The traitor, who had been part of their battle in the snow, and the pilot he had captured and interrogated prior to meeting her. He didn’t appreciate their proximity to her, or how comfortable she seemed to be in their presence. What set him over the edge was the binders the pilot had in his possession.

“No.”

Rey’s eyes followed his gaze to the pilot’s hands. “Poe-,” she started, but her friends interrupted her, not replying to her. They spoke directly to him.

“The only reason we didn’t blast you out of the sky was because she wouldn’t have wanted any bloodshed today,” the traitor spat. Kylo wasn’t sure if by ‘she’ the dark-skinned man meant his mother or Rey.

“Though I disagree,” the pilot stated. “You should be cut through with your laser sword for all you’ve done.”

“Stop it. Both of you,” Rey snapped, smacking their hands away. She stepped between her friends and him, one hand reaching backwards for his and the other pressed out in front of her in warning. “This is a funeral. Have some respect. He is her only son.”

Kylo wrapped his gloved hand around hers, chiding himself internally for not having the forethought to remove the leather. He wanted to feel her skin against his once more. He was unsure if he’d ever be afforded the opportunity again. 

He watched as the traitor and the pilot seethed beneath her scrutiny. His little scavenger was unflinching, her back toward him, the supposed threat while she glared at them, a silent command to stand down. 

“Fine,” the pilot barked. “But so help me, Rey, if he starts a fight, we’ll finish it.” Then to Kylo, he added. “You understand? One foot out of line and we will end you.”

“You’re more than welcome to try.”

The pilot sneered back at Kylo, his disbelief in the Supreme Leader’s intentions evident. The traitor said something to his friend in a hushed tone, before leading him off. 

Rey jabbed an elbow back into Kylo’s ribs. He winced, taken back by the amount of force she put behind her hit. 

_Was that necessary?_ Kylo questioned over the bond.

_Was it necessary to provoke them?_

_He can’t speak to me like that. I’m the Supreme Leader._

Rey yanked her hand out of his, walking off in the direction of her friends. _No one cares what you are, Ben. Not here._

 _I beg to differ_ , he mused, as they approached the collection of Resistance fighters. The chatter halted as all eyes came to rest upon his tall form.

Then Rey’s hand wrapped around his again, leading him through the fray, ignoring the gaping stares and the ugly thoughts from those around her. Kylo heard it all loud and clear. The people she saved, those she left him for so they would be spared his wrath, turned on her. They called her a traitor, a secret Sith, a lover of the First Order, a common-place whor-

Kylo pivoted around to the man who thought the last insult. He picked him easily out of the crowd, rounding on him in an instant. His hand inched towards his saber, all reason and restraint gone, as he released Rey’s hand in favor of cutting down the cad.

“Ben.”

All it took was one word from her.

He froze, eyes burning with rage, stance poised for attack. Clad completely in black and towering over those in front of him, he had never looked more like an executioner.

“Leave it.”

Her eyes begged him not to strike the man down. Kylo swallowed, then released a terse breath. 

“You don’t deserve her,” he hissed at the man, but his words found their way to the entire Resistance population. “None of you do.”

With that said, he took Rey’s hand, this time walking alongside her, instead of behind. He would gladly let her lead him away from this rabble, away from their judging minds, far too weak to comprehend what the creature next to him is capable of. After a life of hardship, she had opened herself to them, given so much of herself and sacrificed her freedom to serve them. If anything, she was the black-headed python in the story she spoke of. She was the hero, paving the way for them and sheltering them when they need it.

They did not appreciate her. 

His anger at her friends dissipated slightly then, because he realized they actually did appreciate her. The deeper he looked into their minds, the clearer it became. They appreciated her enough to confront him, a man who attacked and harmed both of them. They loved her. They were concerned about her attachment to him, not because they were fearful he would attack her, but because they were fearful of her feelings for him. 

Kylo stilled at the knowledge, causing Rey to tug on him, wholly unaware of what he had uncovered in her friends’ minds. 

Her insistent pull had him moving once more, but his mind raced to understand how she could care for him as deeply as her friends perceived her to care. How could she? She had left him on the Supremacy? She had turned down his proposal and closed the door on him only hours after. If she cared for him, why would she do that? She of all people knew how painful it was to be alone.

Rey stopped at the ornate casket, set up on a marble platform overlooking the lake. It wasn’t until he stood before his mother’s body that the reality of the situation sunk in. His mother was dead. There was no one left from his family. They had all passed on.

“You’re not alone,” Rey whispered to him. At first, he thought she was referring to herself, as he had done when he spoke the same words to her, but then he was covered by a shadow. There was only one being he knew that would tower over him like that.

Chewbacca nodded down to him, acknowledging his presence and nothing more. It was a far cry from a hug, yet scores better than taking a bowcaster blast to his side. The Wookiee stood on his right and Rey remained on his left. He was wedged between the two toughest fighters in the Resistance as the ceremony started. He was acutely aware of how their presence made a statement, not only as a declaration to guard him but also as an acknowledgement of how important it was for him to be there. It did not go unnoticed.  

The speakers and details flowed together; it was hard to discern between where one ended and another began. He found it difficult to concentrate on anything but the casket in front of him and Rey’s warm light next to him. She never let go of his hand, for which he was thankful.  

_Are you alright?_ She asked across the bond at one point.

 _I’m the only one left_ , he admitted. _The final Skywalker._

She had nothing to offer him, no way to soothe the pain of his circumstance. She hadn’t allowed her own grief to leak through the bond, remaining strong for him, but he glimpsed a tear rolling down her cheeks before she quickly wiped it away. 

_Are you alright?_

_The General — Leia — was kind to me. She barely knew me but she treated me well._

_You probably were more of a child to her than I was_ , he admitted to her. _She always wanted a daughter._

 _Poe was close with her_ , Rey told him. He briefly raised his eyes to find the pilot, noting the man had tears freely flowing down his face, his entire body filled with remorse. The entire group was in pain, the loss of his mother cutting deeper than any physical wound. He recognized how important she was to them, how she served until her dying day. 

Kylo had always resented her for putting the galaxy before her family. Now, scanning the crowd, he recognized these people were her family. Her mothers, both biological and adopted, would have been proud of her. She devoted her life to service and she had been loved. 

Next to him, Chewbacca let out a wailing howl. The noise drew Kylo’s attention back to the ceremony, which was concluding. 

His protectors broke away from him, leaving him unattended as they begin to speak to other attendees. Kylo moved towards the casket, placing one large hand on the smooth covering. “I’m sorry, Mother,” he told her, softly, too quiet for anyone to hear. “I’m sorry I could never be the son you wanted…the son you deserved.” He had to bend at his waist and his knees to reach the lid with his lips, but he did it anyway, in order to place a goodbye kiss on it.

When he straightened up, he found Rey off to the side, surrounded by Resistance members. Some hugged her, while others paid their respects, as if she was Leia’s daughter. This was where she belonged. Like his mother, she was destined to serve. Born of light and loved by so many, she was the perfect choice for a hero, the last Jedi. Kylo took one last painful glance in her direction, catching her glowing smile as one of the Resistance members, a petite girl in a jumpsuit, said something to her. Rey hugged the girl back. Obviously the two were close. Of course, Rey could make friends with just about anyone. With a sigh, he left.

The path back to his ship wasn’t long. No longer hindered by the watchful eyes of the pilot and the traitor, he was able to move freely towards his TIE Silencer. The ship, midnight black against the lush green foliage of Naboo, stood out.

 _A shadow upon this land,_ he thought bitterly. _Just like me._

He placed his hand against the cool metal of the vessel. It had served him well over the course of his ownership. It was a fine ship, agile and fast, perfect for combat and avoiding unfriendly fire. It had only one seat, larger than most due to his broad frame. Previously the fact had never bothered him, but for some reason now he saw it as a testament to his solitude. 

When he had commissioned the vessel to be built, it had been a custom request. He had provided a list of detailed requirements, expecting the end result to be perfect. And for a time, it was. That time had passed, because now as he gazed upon the single seat he recognized there was no room for a stowaway, no additional space to bring along a companion. 

It was a weak thought. He was the Supreme Leader, the strongest person in the entire galaxy. He had achieved something no one else ever had. 

So why did he feel more alone now than ever before?

“Ben!”

The Force certainly had a cruel sense of humor, allowing her to sneak up on him while he was deep in thought.

Rey jogged up to his side, this time unaccompanied by her co-pilot or any of her friends. She eyed him then the TIE, then him again. “Are you leaving?”

“I’ve overstayed my welcome,” he grumbled. He needed to go now, before she saw his weakness, before she recognized the same loneliness in him she had uncovered back on Starkiller. 

“Don’t go.” Her hand found his, wrapping around.

He flinched, unused to physical contact with another, yet desperately touch starved and yearning for more of her — whatever she was willing to give. 

“Please.”

Hadn’t he said the very same to her? Hadn’t he begged her not to abandon him in Snoke’s throne room. Why was this any different? He had killed his master for her — Sworn a wordless oath to protect her, but she had fled, while he was unconscious. He should do the same to her. Maybe then she would understand his suffering. 

Kylo tried to yank his hand away from her, but his body didn’t move. It betrayed him, as his thoughts did. 

“Ben, you can’t go back there. It isn’t safe for you.”

Not safe? He was the ruler of the galaxy. He was one of the last Force sensitives left and he had an army. What could be safer? His temper and power were well-known. No one would oppose him. In fact, Rey was the only one who had defied him. She was the sole survivor of his wrath. Others were not so lucky.

“I assure you, I’ll be fine.”

“No.” Her grip on his hand tightened. “Hux is planning a coup.”

His immediate reaction was to yell at her, tell her she had no idea what she was talking about. General Hux was slime, a rabid curr, but he would not be foolish enough to go behind Kylo’s back. 

And yet...

His training had taught him to reach out with his feelings. He did, leveraging his connection to the Force until he could feel the intentions of those he kept close. Rey, due to her proximity, was the first to come into focus.

Her light shone brilliant and true through his darkness. Her intentions were noble without a hint of deceit or manipulation. He could sense her fear — not of him but for him — and he could feel her pain. It had been masked by her grief over his mother’s passing, but now he could feel the place where she had hidden away her broken heart. It was broken because of him, because he had chosen power over her.

 _No_ , he thought angrily. He hadn’t picked anything over her. He had chosen a life where they could be together, uninterrupted, unaffected — a life where they could be together rejoicing in their connection to the Force and to each other. 

Rey, however, didn’t see it that way. She had seen his hesitation as him abandoning her. When his focus had shifted from her face to the empty throne, her heart had sunk. All her joy at having him at her side, the adrenaline of winning the fight of their lives, had disappeared, replaced by an old, familiar ache of loneliness. His proposal had turned her stomach. She had seen it as an ultimatum, as a way for him to use her and her power to solidly his own position. 

Seeing the event through her eyes sickened him. His breath left his lungs in a rush and he nearly fell to his knees in anguish. He had thought himself foolish for caring for her, for continuing to show her compassion, when really she was the one who had been foolish. Despite everything he had done, she was still here. She was still trying to save him.

Her words reminded him of what he had set forth to do. Kylo plunged deeper into the Force, seeking out his general. Armitage Hux’s signature was like a poison. Acrid and vile, it made Kylo’s skin prickle in apprehension as he sifted through the ambitious man’s thoughts. It didn’t take long to unearth his plans.

Hux was indeed staging a coup. He had been planning it since Snoke’s demise, convinced Kylo had lied to him, which he had. Regardless of the damage to the throne room, audio and video surveillance had been left intact. Hux has seen what had transpired. He knew what Kylo had done in the name of his scavenger. It had prompted him to take action.

Over the last month, his general had been quietly plotting against him, enlisting Stormtroopers and First Order personnel alike to craft a strategic plan to ensnare the newly appointed Supreme Leader and execute him. All things considered, it was a smart play. In getting rid of Kylo, Hux would cement his position in the First Order, while rallying his underlings for a common goal. It was a perfect plan of attack.

Bastard.

“You could stay.” Rey’s voice brought him back to the moment. She was still holding onto him, as if afraid he’ll leave the instant she released him.

“No,” he replied, watching her face fall. He provided her a counter offer. “You could come with me.”

“No.”

“Then it appears nothing has changed.”

Discouraged, Rey released his hand, moving her arms to wrap around her body. He watched her bite her bottom lip, as she attempted to keep her emotions bottled up. He was perceptive, even more so with her due to their bond, but she kept him blocked from her mind, shielding her thoughts from him.

He knew he should go. Prolonging the inevitable would only cause him further anguish, but he found himself telling her about the planet. Its significance was not lost on him, nor was the place he had landed his ship. 

“My grandparents were married here,” he gestured to an alcove several feet away. “In secret.”

Rey quirked an eyebrow at him. He tried to ignore her unspoken question, feeling stupid for telling her. Rey didn’t care where his grandparents were married or what their circumstances had been. She was fighting a war. She had just buried her leader, someone she had admired and here he was spouting useless facts to her about a relationship which had met an tragic end. He inwardly cringed at his own lack of tact. It was time to go. He began to walk towards the TIE Silencer, when she stopped him.

“Did they love each other?”

Kylo gazed at her over his shoulder, seeing her eyes full of hope. He turned around, returning to her side. “Yes. Very much.”

She nodded, arms squeezing around herself. “I’m glad they found happiness.”

He couldn’t respond to her. Despite her best attempts, her loneliness seeped through her well-crafted shields. He knew how hard it was for her to hear the truth about her parents, to come to terms with the fact the two people who were meant to love her the most had abandoned her, throwing her away like the garbage Jakku was littered with. Hearing about a different pair of people who had loved far deeper brought up her old wounds, reminding her while she had the Resistance, she was still alone. She bore the weight of their safety and success on her shoulders, while simultaneously juggling their judgement over her relationship with him. 

Her voice was so quiet when she spoke again, she was nearly inaudible. “Maybe one day we can too.”

A tear escaped, trailing down her left cheek. Instinctively, he caught it on the tip of his finger, bringing it away from her smooth sun-kissed skin. She gasped, looking up at him, confused by his act of tenderness. His walls fell down. He seized her, grabbing hold of her arms to pull her to him. His lips crashed into hers, desperate for the taste of her. His need to be joined with her overtook all rational thought. She didn’t stop him or push back. Instead, she opened her mouth, allowing him to delve further.

Hands found purchase in his hair, roaming across his scalp before tangling through the tresses. His hands pressed into her lower back, cradling her against his chest to keep her as close to him as physically possible. In response, she surged up on her tiptoes, trying to compensate for the size difference between them. She was trying to meet him halfway. She had been long before this moment, long before he understood her side of things.

“I love you.”

It wasn’t until he stepped back to gauge her reaction that he realized it was his first kiss. Taking in her flush and her shining eyes, he surmised it was her first kiss as well. Of course, both their experiences had the added effect of his confession. The words hung in the air between them, as they both breathed heavily, trying to come to terms with what it meant 

How could he leave her now — alone and unprotected?

The answer was simple. He couldn’t.

Kneeling down on his left knee, he withdrew his saber, holding it out to her with his left hand. Rey stared down at him, then at the weapon. “Ben?”

“I want you to have it.”

“But it’s yours,” she sputtered. “It’s your weapon…your life.”

“And now it’s yours,” he vowed.

“Ben.” She collapsed to her knees before him, enveloping him in a hug as she threw herself into him. “I love you too,” she whispered against his neck, through the embrace.

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout-out to [@boomdafunk](http://boomdafunk.tumblr.com/) for this piece my friend Sage commissioned for me.


End file.
